


To Start Again

by hella_fandoms



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Characters will be added as they appear - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, The buildup to the main plot will take a few chapters but trust me it's totally worth it, and now you all get to read it, assuming I remember to write those chapters, modern AU based on a really late night idea that my brain cooked up, more are mentioned than tagged but I'm not going to flood the tags that's rude, surprise guest in chapter 3 that I'm not tagging until chapter 4, you'll also get to witness the true monotony of politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24990970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hella_fandoms/pseuds/hella_fandoms
Summary: After the death of Tiffin Wrynn five years ago in a tragic car accident, firefighter Varian Wrynn and his son, junior doctor Anduin, move to the city of Dalaran, where they intend to get a fresh start. As always, trouble awaits in the form of corrupt politicians, gangs, and unexpected reunions. As Varian and the firefighters of Station Three keep the city in one piece and Anduin and his fellow doctors look to save as many lives as they can, there is always trouble lurking in the woodwork, waiting to make itself known.
Relationships: More to come, Rhonin/Vereesa Windrunner, Turalyon/Alleria Windrunner
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. Moving In

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I 100% blame the Purple Parlor for this, as well as my own insomnia. Thanks to RaernS for betaing this chapter a bit and helping me clean it up. I promise there will be more, I am very invested in this AU and I get the feeling at least a few of you will be as well. As a side note, if anyone would like their OC to be a part of the story in a background role, feel free to comment or message me on Tumblr (darthsassacre). Enjoy the read!

The streets of Dalaran were quiet at this time of day, just after sundown. The rundown truck pulled in front of the small two-bedroom house with worn white paint and shingles missing. The two new residents of the house stepped out of the truck and took in their new home.

“First things first, this thing needs a new roof. That is guaranteed to leak after just one bad rainstorm,” the elder of the two said, narrowing his blue eyes as he frowned at the house.

“It’s also cheap, Dad,” the younger said, running a hand through messy blonde hair, “So, when is the moving company going to be here?”

“Tomorrow, which means we’re getting comfortable on the floor tonight. At least I brought the air mattresses.”

“Thank the Light for small mercies. You almost forgot.”

Varian Wrynn mock-glared at his son, who grinned easily. Anduin had grown so much in the recent years since his mother’s death, easily the spitting image of Tiffin.

“How about you see what’s open for takeout this late at night, and I’ll unload the luggage.”

Anduin pulled out his phone, quickly looking up takeout places. How he was so damned fast with that thing, Varian would never know. He could barely type out a coherent text message.

“Oh, here’s a good one,” the younger man said, looking up, “A Pandaren restaurant. Rave reviews, everyone says it’s amazing and the owner is super chill.”

“You know more about Pandaren cuisine than me. I’ll let you pick… just don’t try and poison me.”

“Minimal veggies in your order, got it.”

Varian laughed as Anduin stepped onto the sagging porch to make a call to place their order. They’d only brought a few bags, enough to give them a couple days of clothes until they finished unpacking. The air mattresses were still in their original boxes, only a few days old, so they were the easiest to unpack and set up on the floor, although Varian found the instructions to be a bit redundant. Who didn’t know how to set up an air mattress, anyway? Plug pump in, attach to designated hole, and wait. Not like it was rocket science.

A ring on the doorbell while Anduin was checking out the backyard prompted him to rise, muttering as his back creaked, and move to answer the door.

A young Pandaren girl stood on the porch, two bags in hand and popping gum casually. Her large amber eyes gazed up at him.

“Order for a Mister Wrynn?”

“That would be me. How much?”

“Thirty-seven dollars and eighteen cents.”

Varian pulled a pair of twenties out of his wallet, plus an additional five.

“Keep the change,” he said as he took the bags. The girl’s face lit up.

“Really? Nobody has ever tipped this much before… thanks, mister!”

She hurried off, big grin on her face. Anduin’s voice called out from within the house.

“Was that the food?”

“Yep. Apparently people in this town don’t tip worth a damn.”

Anduin frowned as Varian set the bags on the kitchen island.

“Really? How much did you tip?”

“Just under eight dollars.”

“Light have mercy, they really don’t. That’s a basic tip in Stormwind…”

“We’ll fix that. Just convince all your coworkers and I’ll convince mine.”

Anduin grinned, “I’ll try. I don’t know how much sway I’ll have.”

His phone dinged and he looked at it, his eyes widening as he read it.

“What is it?”

“It’s… it’s from Arator. The guy I met in premed, remember?”

Varian did indeed remember the young blonde half-elf Anduin had dated for a year or so. They had gone to different medical schools and it had nearly broken Anduin’s heart when Arator confessed that he didn’t think he could do a long distance relationship, so had decided to end things.

“He just texted. Said he’d been at a restaurant with his parents when he heard the owner take a call from someone called Wrynn… you don’t think it could be…”

“Ask him and find out,” Varian rolled his eyes. Anduin could be so clueless sometimes. It was adorable, but sometimes just a bit frustrating.

Anduin busily texted as he stuffed an egg roll in his face, almost spitting it out when he got the answer.

“He’s at Chen’s Restaurant, the one we ordered from… he… he lives here, he’s at the same hospital I’ll be at, I don’t think I can do this.”

“You’ll make no decisions until after dinner, please. Dealing with things like this on an empty stomach is a bad idea. Trust me,” Varian instructed as he snagged his son’s phone, setting it face down on top of his own.

“Spoken from experience?”

“Let’s just say your Uncle Arthas and I did something similar. Although for me it wasn’t a bad decision because I asked your mother to marry me. He, on the other hand, broke up with his girlfriend, which was the worst mistake he could have made. That girl was his rock, and he broke up with her because she wanted to start getting more serious.”

Anduin hadn’t heard this story before, and frowned.

“You don’t talk about Uncle Arthas much… why?”

“Let’s just say he and I went our separate ways when you were about five. We talk sometimes, but not often. I chose a more humble life and he decided to go for the big leagues. Difference of opinions, that’s all.”

Anduin nodded, “I get that. That’s why I don’t talk to some of the kids I knew growing up anymore. Well, except for Tae.”

Varian remembered Taelia Fordragon well. Her father had been an old military friend of his, but they’d fallen out of touch over the years. Taelia had always been a sweet girl.

“How’s she doing?”

“Good. She met a guy in Boralus while working for Cyrus, they’ve started dating. From everything she’s said, he treats her well, so I’m happy for her.”

“I’d drive to Boralus to kick his ass if he didn’t.”  
“She knows. She’s also specifically told me to not let you, because she’d kick his ass herself.”

“She get her black belt?” Varian asked. He couldn’t help but to be surprised at how fast time flew.

“She teaches now and everything. Cyrus always tells her she’s the security and Flynn is the secretary.”

“Flynn is the boyfriend?”

“Yeah. Ex-Navy.”

Varian snickered, “This is the second vet she’s dated.”

“I don’t think Tandred counts as a boyfriend, more a fling. He was cute, though. She sent pictures.”

Anduin had snagged his phone back as they ate, easily clearing through the food. Tiffin had always said that feeding the two of them was like feeding an entire sports team.

“Oh, neat. I told Arator that I moved to town and he said he’d be happy to show me around in the morning. Will you be okay dealing with the movers by yourself?”

“Yeah. A couple guys from the station said they’d drop by with some paperwork that I need to go over. Apparently Station Three has a reputation to maintain, chief said something about them always being nearly anal-retentive with the paperwork, blames it on a Lieutenant Saurfang.”

“I don’t think they’ll be willing to pull their weight hauling furniture,” Anduin grinned around a mouthful of noodles.

“That’s what I hired the company for.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’ll personally kick you out of bed myself. You can even take the truck, I won’t be needing it. There’s a convenience store just down the block that I can walk to if I need anything. And no, I’m not telling you where the liquor stash will be, get your own stash.”

Anduin laughed, almost choking on the noodles.

“Chew first, don’t die. I’m not doing the Heimlich tonight.”

Sleep was hard to come by that night, for Varian at least. Anduin was out like a light as soon as he hit the mattress, but Varian wasn’t one for easy sleep. Meeting his new crew tomorrow would be rough, he could already tell. The chief had passed up a long-time veteran for promotion in favor of some out of town guy none of the crew knew, there were bound to be sore feelings. He missed his guys back in Stormwind, but this offer had been too good to pass up, and not just for him. Anduin had such a bright career ahead of him, why would Varian deny him the chance to work at one of Azeroth’s premier hospitals, just for Varian’s sake. If only his son wasn’t so hellbent on taking care of him after Tiffin’s death… no, he couldn’t blame him for that. Her death had hurt them both in different ways, but it hadn’t been Anduin with the drinking problem, it hadn’t been Anduin who needed his ass covered more than once. He’d taken this offer to give something back to his son, and he was damned if he was going to let some hurt feelings get in the way of that.

His alarm went off far too soon, and he groaned as he rolled out of bed.

“Mrrp?” Anduin grumbled as he peered blearily at Varian.

“It’s six in the morning, go back to sleep. I’m just going for a jog.”

Anduin rolled over and tugged the blanket over his head, his feet sticking out as he did so. Varian chuckled and laced his shoes before grabbing his phone and headphones. The one thing he was good at with this thing was finding good music for his morning jogs. Something about a job with music was relaxing, and had come highly recommended by the therapist he’d been seeing in Stormwind. That reminded him, he needed to find one in Dalaran, which meant finally looking through the recommendations Laurena had given him.

For a while, it was just him, the pounding of his feet on the ground and the heavy beat of this morning’s playlist in his ears. This part of his morning routine always helped him clear his head before a big day. He didn’t think anyone else would be up, but he spotted a pair jogging a short distance ahead, talking to each other. They were a pair of young women, one a tall blonde elf in skimpy red jogging clothes and the other a shorter dark-haired human in a hoodie. They seemed fixed on their conversation until Varian passed. They both picked up the pace to keep up with him and he sighed, popping an earbud out.

“Hi!” the elf grinned, “I’m Valeera and this is Tess. Haven’t seen you around before.”

“New to town,” Varian replied gruffly.

“Cool. Always nice to see some new faces. Gets awfully dull around here.”

“Valeera!” Tess scolded, “Don’t go digging into people’s lives, how many times do I have to tell you-”

“Not digging if they tell me. I’m very friendly.”

“Not looking for a friend,” Varian said simply.

“That’s what they all say. Yet, here I am. I’m even friends with Sylvanas Windrunner, and she’s grumpy as all hell,” Valeera declared.

Tess rolled her eyes. “You’re not friends with her, she tolerates you because you warn her if any of her people are going to start some shit.”

“That’s what friends are for.”

Tess sighed, “I’m sorry about her, she’s annoying.”

“You seem to stick around,” Varian pointed out.

“I’m her roommate, we’re stuck with each other because of the lease. My parents raised me to never break a contract.”

“Did hers?”

Valeera laughed, “Oh, mine are dead. It’s cool though, Miss Moira taught me plenty.”

“Who is Miss Moira?”

Tess rolled her eyes, “She’s the high school principal, Valeera adores her. She put up with a lot of Valeera’s shit in school.”

“I even lived at her house.”

“That part is true,” Tess confirmed when Varian glanced at her. “Moira is an absolute saint and has two spare bedrooms for kids who need them if anything happens. She’s probably the second most adored person in this town, after Mayor Alex of course.”

Varian had of course heard of Alexstrasza, the mayor of Dalaran. It was said that she was a very gentle woman and her social justice policies were held up throughout Azeroth as a standard for all mayors to uphold. Even the mayor of Stormwind had adored her.

“Hey, it’s seven already,” Valeera said suddenly, “Wow, time flies.”

Varian checked his phone and sure enough it was. He even had a text from Anduin asking if he’d died or something. A second text said that he’d ordered breakfast and it was on the way, that one having been sent ten minutes ago.

“Thanks for the heads up. Should get back before my son gets worried.”

“Aw, you have a son? How old?”

Varian grinned, “Twenty-seven.”

“You do not look old enough to have a grown son,” Valeera said.

“Valeera, don’t be gross.”

“Tess, you’re thinking it too.”

The human woman grabbed her friend and dragged her off, shouting “Sorry about her!” as they went. Varian chuckled and headed back to his new house.

Anduin was waiting for him with a cup of coffee when he arrived, the food already on the kitchen island.

“You were gone for a while.”

“I ran into a couple of people. Girls about your age, I think. Pretty sure the one tried to flirt with me…”

“Not surprising.”

“Anduin!”

“What? It’s not like I got all of this from Mom.”

Varian nearly choked on his coffee at Anduin’s comment as his son laughed.

“I have no idea where you get this sass from.”

“Neither do I. Also, you have the truck today, Arator said he’d give me a ride. Apparently he wants to chat before we get there. He said he wanted to warn me about some of the more interesting people at the hospital.”

“At least someone is. Wish someone would do the same for me. I have no idea who will be bent out of shape and who won’t.”

“I’m sure the chief wouldn’t have called you if he didn’t think you were needed.”

“Now now, stop making sense.”

Anduin grinned as he stuffed a sausage biscuit in his mouth before peering out the window. Varian followed his gaze to see a familiar young half-elf propped against a car, an older blonde man at the wheel.

“Oh shit,” Anduin muttered.

“Language. I take it you know the driver?”

“That’s Arator’s dad. He showed me pictures. I guess they’re past everything.”

“Everything?”

“He didn’t respond well to Arator coming out, led to a big fight between him and Arator’s mom. I guess everyone made up. I’m glad. I’d seriously considered offering to let him crash at our place.”

“That bad?”

“For a while. Anyway, I should go. Love you, Dad!”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” he yelled back as Anduin grabbed his bag and coffee, shoving some food in his jacket pockets before he took off, hurrying out the door.

Varian looked at the food before him. Greasier than he’d usually prefer, but it was food that he didn’t have to cook, so it was better than anything. Some days, he missed Tiffin more than others… especially mornings like this, when Anduin was out the door and he was all alone in a house that felt too big.

Outside, Anduin grinned as he hugged his ex-boyfriend.

“Arator, it’s been forever. How are you?”

“I’m good. Really good. This is my dad. Dad, this is Anduin, I told you about him.”

“It’s good to meet you, Anduin,” the man said, peering out. “I’m Turalyon.”

Arator opened the car door and Anduin slid into the back seat, noting the bag on the front seat as Arator sat next to him.

“Do you work at the hospital too?” Anduin asked, trying to start up some conversation.

“I do. Trauma surgery.”

“That’s nice. Um… do you know if there’s a chapel? It’s a weird question, I know, I just...”

“You like to pray before a surgery, don’t you? Arator didn’t tell me you’re religious.”

“A bit. Haven’t been to church too often since…”

Arator frowned, “I meant to call after it happened… I’m so sorry about what happened, Andy.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a few years now, I’m moving on.”

“What happened?” Turalyon asked, concern crossing his face as he looked back at them through the rearview mirror.

“My mom died in a car accident, just before medical school.”

“I’m sorry. Was she a believer, too?”

“Yeah. We always went together, my dad never really went. He still doesn’t, but it’s weird going without Mom.”

It was silent for a bit before Arator leaned over and said, “Okay, so, what department are you specializing in?”

“Trauma. You’re cardio, right?”

“Yeah. The other residents aren’t too bad. I tend to hang around Talanji, she’s really sweet, she’s aiming towards general.”

“That’s cool. They get to do a lot more than cardio.”

“But can they hold hearts in their hands?”

Turalyon sighed, “Arator… you know you worry me when you say that.”

“I’m not going to be a serial killer, Dad. So, Anduin, you’ll definitely meet Doctor Stormrage today. He’s the head of the residency program, really chill and… well, you’ll have to meet him to really understand. His wife is the chief of surgery, Doctor Whisperwind. Don’t mess with her, whatever you do. She can be terrifying.”

“Just because you spilled coffee on her-”

“It was an accident, Dad!” Arator protested as Anduin laughed.

“Who runs the trauma program?” Anduin asked.

Turalyon cleared his throat, “I do.”

“Oh… oh Light.”

The older man laughed, “Relax. You haven’t messed anything up or made an ass of yourself. That’s more than I can say of most.”

“Talanji corrected him on something. I thought she was going to die of embarrassment,” Arator grinned.

“She was right, though. Frightfully bright, that one, when she wants to speak up. I told you, you should help her with that. She has the makings of a brilliant surgeon, she just needs some more confidence.”

“I know. She’s been through a lot, Dad, I don’t want to push her.”

“I get it. You should probably warn Anduin about-”

“Aunt Vereesa?”

“Isn’t she the younger of your aunts?” Anduin asked.

“Yeah. She’s a nurse in the ER and she will bite your head off if she thinks you’re endangering a patient.”

“Sounds like my dad. Apparently he once almost got in a fistfight with an EMT who was trying to inject a patient with something that the patient’s wife insisted would do more damage than good.”

“Your dad’s an EMT?”

“Firefighter. He’s going to be working at Station Three.”

“Light help him, then,” Turalyon intoned.

“Dad, that’s mean. Mom isn’t that bad.”

“What about your mother?”

Arator looked a bit sheepish, “Mom works at Station Three. Your dad is in for a rough start, I think. She kinda hazes all the new guys, no matter their rank. Poor Baine, for example.”

“What’d she do to him?” Anduin asked, worried.

“She faked his schedule, so he showed up for all the wrong shifts for two weeks. Saurfang was going to kill her for that.”

“Dad mentioned him. Said the chief told him that this Saurfang guy was a stickler for paperwork.”

“Yeah, he keeps order. Mom seems to like him enough, which is weird, she hates order.”

“She married me, though.”

“Okay, fair,” Arator laughed. Turalyon looked amused with himself as they pulled into the parking lot. “Oh look, we’re here!”

Dalaran General was large and slightly intimidating, but the crowd of people heading in and out looked relatively normal. There was a pair of kal’dorei discussing something over a cup of coffee, a gnome with a toolbelt who appeared to be lecturing a tauren woman about something, a quel’dorei bumping into a human and apologizing, a half-elf reading something as he walked blindly, and even a sin’dorei in slightly ragged garb cheerfully panhandling.

“Uh, Dad. Hal’s back,” Arator sighed.

“I’ll leave him be for a bit. He’s not doing anything this early in the morning. When someone complains, I’ll call Theron.”

“You know the guy?” Anduin asked as they got out of the car and headed into the hospital, Turalyon heading off ahead to talk to the kal’dorei pair.

“Hal? Yeah. He lives at my Aunt Syl’s shelter, he’s a decent guy, just gets to be a bit of a nuisance to some folks.”

“Nonsense!” a cheerful voice called out as the sin’dorei wandered over, “I’m a delight!”

“Morning, Hal. Are you making anything so far?”

“A few dollars. Considering I’ve been here for fifteen minutes, that’s not bad.”

“Just don’t get the cops called on you. You know Captain Hellscream will throw you in jail for fun.”

“I plan on being an absolute gentleman. Besides, I had to meet the newest resident! Vereesa mentioned that there’d be a new one.”

Anduin waved, ears turning red, “Hi. I’m Anduin Wrynn.”

“Hello Anduin! I’m Halduron Brightwing, but everyone calls me Hal.”

“You here often?” Anduin asked.

“As much as they’ll let me. I have a deal with that chief that I get once a week, then I gotta find other places.”

“You know Aunt Syl will help you get a job?”

“Not many places will hire me with my record, kid. But, I appreciate it.”

“Record?”

Hal shrugged, “I have a couple felony possession charges. I’m clean now, but I used to be a trainwreck.”

“What was your drug of choice, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ll be spending a lot of time in the ER, so…”

“It’s fine, kid. I tended to prefer heroin, honestly. Drug of choice in town, though, is either good old alcohol or cocaine. I was the odd guy out. Heroin isn’t popular in Dalaran.”

“Good to know. I’m glad you’re clean now, that stuff is nasty.”

“Don’t I know it? My best friend threatened to let them send me to prison if I didn’t get my shit together, and he was the one paying for my lawyer, so I didn’t have much of a choice. Don’t know where I’d be if he hadn’t given me that ultimatum.”

“Glad he did. Prison is no fun, I did a tour once for an elective, it was…”

“Horrifying? Yeah, I bet. Heard plenty from my roommate.”

“You have a roommate?” Arator asked, speaking for the first time in a few minutes, “Since when?”

“I get one every so often. Usually addicts that Syl wants me to scare straight. She doesn’t like sending them to Nathanos unless she has to.”

“Sounds like your Aunt Syl is a menace,” Anduin smirked.

“She is. She really is. Oh, we should head in. Doctor Stormrage will probably want to see you, get everything sorted.”

“Have fun in there! Stormrage is a good guy,” Halduron called out as they headed in, both residents giving him waves as they passed through the doors.

Varian wasn’t having such a nice day. The movers were an hour late and he was starting to debate calling them and bitching them out.

“You look like you’re about to commit mayhem.”

The neighbor was on his front porch, smoking a cigarette. He was an orc, tall with blue eyes and black hair done in braids. He wore slacks and a button down, but was barefoot.

“Depends on what happens in the next half hour, I may just.”

The orc chuckled, “I know the feeling. I feel that way usually an hour after I get to work, every single day.”

“That bad?”

“Insurance companies and their representatives are all incarnations of the devil, I’m sure of that.”

“Sounds like a rough gig. How do you survive?”

The orc looked around and then grinned at him, “This isn’t tobacco.”

“Smart. I would never have known. Nobody at work has figured it out?”

“Oh please. I work miracles for them on a regular basis. I could do crack cocaine at work and they’d ignore it.”

Varian laughed, “I’d kill for a gig like that. I’m going to start work tomorrow at my new job and there’s going to be some hurt feelings.”

“Why? They pass someone over for promotion?”

“Something like that. There’s a guy who has been there for a lot longer, has all the experience… yet they asked me, a captain from out of town, to take over the house.”  
The orc was silent for a moment before something akin to understanding dawned on his face, “You’re the new captain of Station Three?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“Saurfang and I have been friends for ages. The reason he didn’t get the promotion is he didn’t want it. You’ve got nothing to worry about there. He told the chief he’d quit before he let him put him in charge.”

“Really? Should I be worried, then?”

“Keep a tight grip on them and it should be fine. Oh, look. There’s Saurfang now.”

A car had pulled up in front of the orc’s house and a large grey-haired orc stepped out, a blonde elven woman with blue tattoos hopping out of the passenger seat.

“Thrall!” the elf called out, “Morning!”

“Morning, Alleria. Tell your husband not to make my life too miserable today.”

“No promises. He has a new resident, you know how they get, always overeager.”

Thrall chuckled, “They don’t have the kind of power he does. You should know that, your son is a resident too.”

Alleria grinned, skipping over to Varian’s porch, “Howdy! You must be Captain Wrynn!”

“Alleria, tone it down a bit,” the old orc grumbled, “Not all of us can stomach three energy drinks in a row like you can.”

“Is that what that is?” Varian asked.

The orc grunted, “Supposedly. She doesn’t test positive for anything, so the truth of it is beyond me. I’m Varok Saurfang, she’s Alleria Windrunner.”

“Varian Wrynn. My new neighbor was just telling me you turned down the promotion?”

“Damn right I did. I’m too old to keep this pack of fools on the tight leashes they need. I’ll retire in a few years, would rather not spend them on paperwork.”

“I get that. Not too fond of it myself.”

“How do you get through it?”

Varian gave a small smirk, “I have a secret weapon. My son is a master with that sort of thing, I’ll bring it all home and get him to help me.”

“Cheating. I approve. Your chief never cared?”

“My chief never knew. Not like he would have given half a damn, Anduin is the reason I always had the neatest paperwork.”

“Anduin?” Alleria frowned, “Did he go to Stormwind University pre-med?”

“Yes?”

Alleria had a grin on her face, “I knew your name was familiar! You’ve probably met my son, Arator.”

“Ah, I have. Smart kid. Broke Anduin’s heart.”

“I always told him that was a mistake. Your son was the best thing to ever happen to mine.”

Saurfang rolled his eyes, “Trust me, we’ve been hearing for years about the guy whose heart her son broke. It’d be nice to finally meet him.”

Thrall had wandered over, handing Saurfang a book.

“Arator’s ex? Isn’t he a doctor?”

“A resident, at Dalaran General,” Varian nodded.

“He must be Turalyon’s new resident,” Alleria smirked, “Brace yourself, Thrall.”

“You work at the hospital?” Varian asked.

“Hospital billing specialist. Like I said, I work regular miracles for them.”

“I think you and my son will become fast friends. Anduin took some electives to help him understand the billing systems and insurance companies better so he could work around them.”

“Oh, we’ll definitely get along. Outmaneuvering those bastards is a hobby for me. It’s why I still work at the hospital.”

“I wholeheartedly support that cause,” Varian agreed. Saurfang and Alleria nodded.

“Those companies screwed my sister over after she got back from her enlistment. Smack ‘em a good one for her, huh Thrall?”

“For dear Sylvanas, always.”

“Who is Sylvanas? I heard someone mention her this morning too.”

Alleria’s upbeat attitude dimmed for a moment, “She’s one of my younger sisters. She runs the homeless shelter in town. The war changed her and she never really healed. Who did you hear about her from?”

“An elven kid named.. Valeera? I think that was her name.”

“Valeera Sanguinar. Yeah, she hangs around the shelter sometimes, especially when she was younger. Mostly does some graffiti around there and critiques the art already there. Sylvanas hates her, yet Valeera always knows when dealers are hanging around. Probably because of Shaw.”

“Shaw?”

Saurfang sighed, “Mathias Shaw is a private investigator in town. We’ve dealt with him more than once. He’s an asshole, but he keeps the worst of the scum out of town, so he’s tolerated. Hellscream hates his guts, but-”

“That’s a point in Shaw’s favor, really,” Alleria shrugged, “Hellscream is a pompous asshole who will arrest a guy for loitering on a street corner just because he’s bored. Take it from me, avoid dealing with the police around here, unless you can deal with Muradin Bronzebeard. He’s the only decent one.”

“I don’t mind Greymane,” Saurfang noted.

“Greymane is a sexist asshole,” Alleria retorted, “He’s talked down to Syl so many times it’s a miracle she hasn’t punched him.”

“Sounds like there’s a lot I need to get caught up on,” Varian mused.

“Plenty. That’s why we’re here. Paperwork is only the excuse. You should probably be aware of a number of things before you run into them unaware,” Alleria nodded.

Thrall chose then to bow out, saying he had to head to work. His motorcycle pulled out a few minutes later and Varian peered at it.

“Where can I get one of those?”

“Dealership across town. Spendy, though.”

“I can save up for it. My son is a doctor and this is easily one of the cheapest neighborhoods in town. I give it a year before I have the money.”

The two firefighters were still there when Anduin returned, Arator and his father joining them.

“My love, you look far too chipper,” the tall blonde man who had introduced himself as Turalyon smiled at Alleria.

“I always am. Don’t pretend I didn’t watch you chug four cups of coffee this morning.”

“Your sister would have murdered me if I was anything less than alert in her ER.”

“How many sisters do you have?” Varian asked, a smirk crossing his features.

“Just the two. Damned nuisances, the pair of them. Vereesa is an ER nurse.”

Arator and Anduin were on the couch, playing with some little game console Anduin had bought before they’d decided to move. The house was still a mess, but at least the furniture was here. The cable company would be there tomorrow to hook everything up.

It was another couple hours before Saurfang looked out the window and frowned, “Didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”

Alleria’s stomach rumbled rather audibly, “I did. Anyone want pizza?”

Both of the blondes on the couch immediately looked over. Varian chuckled, “I think that’s a resounding yes.”

“Any preferences? Other than Saurfang’s no veggies?”

“I second that no veggies. Anduin will have extra.”

“That’s not a bad thing, you know,” Anduin pointed out, “They’re healthy.”

“I’m a firefighter, everything I do is dangerous. You think I’m concerned about what I put in my mouth so much as I am what gear I have running into a burning building?”

“At least I don’t actively sabotage myself!”

Alleria snorted, “I’ve heard this conversation before, I swear. I think Rhonin and Vereesa had this exact conversation with the boys.”

“Rhonin is your lawyer brother in law, right?” Varian clarified, trying to keep all the names they’d discussed straight.

“Yeah. For all our sakes, I hope you never deal with him. He can be cruel in the courtroom.”

Saurfang rolled his eyes, “He just does his job. Being a public defender is a thankless job. If it weren’t for Proudmoore, he’d have been overwhelmed long ago.”

Proudmoore… there was a familiar name… could it be?

“Jaina is a saint, but she really needs to get laid,” Alleria declared.

It was her. He must have looked really surprised because Alleria frowned, “Wrynn, you okay?”

“Hmm? Sorry. Just… I used to know Jaina, way back when.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She used to date my best friend. She was in college then, she was the best thing that ever happened to him… shame about all that.”

“Wait…” Anduin frowned, “You mean Aunt Jaina? The Aunt Jaina who used to babysit me? I would love to see her again!”

“Knew her that well, huh?” Turalyon frowned, “She doesn’t talk about the past too much, which is a shame, she’s a damn good lawyer and has helped the hospital out plenty of times.”

“My friend broke her heart pretty badly, I’m not surprised she doesn’t talk about it. He was an ass to her, and all she wanted to do was be a part of his life.”

Alleria sighed, “Men can be such assholes sometimes. No offense to anyone in this room.”

Saurfang shrugged and Turalyon laughed. Varian chuckled, “I know what you mean. I’m surprised my wife even said yes, I botched that proposal completely.”

“Is this about the-”

“Anduin. Don’t embarrass me in front of my new coworkers. That was a truly terrible event.”

Turalyon grinned, “I hear she was a wonderful woman.”

“Was?” Alleria frowned before it dawned on her, “Oh… I’m sorry. Arator mentioned that briefly once… terrible, what happened.”

“What did happen?” Saurfang asked, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Car accident, some years ago. A random drunk slammed into the driver’s side of her car, she died on impact.”

Saurfang nodded sadly, “Drunk is what got my son, too. It’s a shame how people like that are still allowed on the roads, but there’s no real way to stop them.”

“Too true. Sorry to hear about your son. What was he like?”

“Boisterous kid, like his mother. We lost her to illness when he was a baby. He’d just graduated high school, was getting ready to go off to college when it happened.”

“The entire town knew before the next sunset,” Alleria said, “I remember Arator insisting that he would cook. Even Nathanos offered to take care of the yardwork for those couple months.”

“It was appreciated. I had no idea I even had a gnome statue still, I thought someone had stolen it.”

“Was it hidden in a bush?” Varian asked.

“I thought it was a bush, but apparently it was weeds. Nathanos still comes by every couple weeks to do some upkeep. Says it’s his pride and joy, he’ll be damned if I ruin it.”

“He may be an abrasive asshole, but he’s a decent guy. Helps Sylvanas keep her residents in check.”

The pizza arrived at that time and Anduin bounced up to get the door, greeting the person, a woman, who had it.

“Is that Tess?” Alleria called out.

“It’s me, Missus Windrunner!” the woman called out, poking her head in. It was the young woman from this morning, “Oh! So this is where you live, new guy?”

“You met?” Anduin asked, a smirk on his face.

“I met Tess and her roommate when I was jogging.”

“Sorry about Valeera,” Tess winced, “She’s… she’s a handful at times.”

“Oh, Light, you met Valeera already?” Arator looked far too amused.

“She tried to flirt, I think.”

“Next time, just tell Broll. He’ll set her straight.”

“Broll?”

“He’s her adopted father of sorts,” Tess explained, “He works at Station Three, Alleria and Saurfang could introduce you.”

Varian glanced at the pair, who nodded. Alleria explained, “He’s a real softie. He met Valeera when she tried to set a stove on fire a couple years ago, pretty much adopted her right then and there. I think he and Moira have, like, joint custody or something.”

“I should get going, but it was nice to see you again, new guy,” Tess waved as she handed Anduin the pizza and he handed her the cash. She counted it and her eyes widened. “I thought Li Li was full of shit, but you guys do tip good. Damn. Gotta make everyone else hold to these standards now. Bye!”

As Anduin kicked the door closed, Turalyon asked, “How much did you tip?”

“Ten bucks.”

“Wow… I need to up my game or Li Li might start spitting in our food.”

“She wouldn’t,” Alleria rolled her eyes, “She adores Arator and Chen is the one cooking, besides.”

“Oh, Li Li is the person who does Chen’s deliveries? We had them last night, I’m in love.”

Saurfang chuckled, “Everyone is. It’s how he’s still open. Councilman Sunstrider has had some sort of problem with him for years, but Chen is one of the most popular people in town, nobody can get rid of him.”

“You know Kael just wants that building. Prime real estate.”

“Why on earth would he-”

“Saurfang, he’s corrupt. The entire town knows it.”

“Alright, fair.”

Dinner was relatively calm after that, Arator and Anduin regaling the group about their day and Anduin’s new panhandler friend. Varian wasn’t sure what to think about that, but if even Saurfang was insisting this Hal was a decent guy, he’d leave the man be. He still wasn’t too fond of panhandlers though, but if that got Hal through the day, who was he to judge? It was probably a healthier habit than alcohol.


	2. First Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian meets his new crew and deals with the local problem children and their not-mother. Anduin gets a crash course in asshole patients and how to deal with them, with some help from the hospital staff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this done for like two weeks now, I just totally forgot to post it. See, I had ideas in my head for like a schedule and things, but life happened and needless to say things are not going as planned. I can for sure say I'll have chapter three out by the end of the year, but that is all I can promise. This is going to be my NaNo story this year, so hopefully that motivates me a bit.

It was far too early in the morning for this, but Varian still got up anyway. He had promised Saurfang and Alleria that he’d be at the station by seven to get introduced to everyone before shift started at eight. They insisted he should meet some of the others and he couldn’t tell if he should be concerned or duly warned or both.

That’s what led him to the admittedly rundown Station Three. It had seen better days and at the very least needed a new paint job and a new sign. He could work on that though, he was sure the city council would approve repairs, they couldn’t just leave the station looking like this. Varian was musing on the necessary repairs and debating finding a pen and paper when something bumped into his arm and said “Oh, sorry!”

He turned to find a rotund Pandaren man standing there with a box, a sheepish grin on his face.

“Sorry about that,” he said, “Guess I wasn’t looking where I was going. You lost?”

“Not at all. I’m looking for Saurfang or Alleria.”

“Dangerous proposition, my friend. I don’t think either of them are here yet. I’m Ji Firepaw, by the way. I man the ladder.”

“You’re the ladder miracle worker Alleria was telling me about? Pleasure to meet you. I’m Varian Wrynn.”

“The new boss man! Why didn’t you say anything, I can show you around. I’m sure Baine and Shandris are here already, Broll is probably running late this morning, he usually does on Thursdays.”

“Why Thursdays?”

Ji grinned, “Thursday mornings are when he takes his adopted daughter out to breakfast. It’s a tradition none of us are willing to force him to break.”

“I totally understand. I used to do the same with my son when he was younger, Sunday morning brunch after church. My wife’s idea, really.”

“Family traditions are important, especially when they involve food!” Ji declared cheerfully, chuckling as he hoisted the box higher, “If you want to grab the other box, we could get all this put up before Saurfang arrives and bitches everyone out.”

“What is it?” Varian asked, peering at the other box in the back seat of Ji’s rather rundown-looking car.

“Groceries. We all take turns cooking, except Alleria. She’s not allowed to cook.”

“For the last time, Ji,” the familiar voice of Alleria Windrunner protested, “It was an accident. How was I supposed to know one of you chucklefucks bought expired beef?”

“Read the label?” Ji suggested.

“That’s the job of the buyer, not the chef trying to make an entire meal before the next call.”

Varian laughed, “This is entirely familiar. I should warn you, I’m a very poor chef. My son is the real chef of the family. I can, however, make a mean grilled cheese.”

“Hey, it’s portable, that absolutely counts,” Alleria pointed out, “Portable food is best. It’s why I was making hamburgers that day. Wrap those up and stick ‘em in the pockets.”

“If you want a smashburger, sure,” Ji teased.

“Says the ladder man.”

Another car pulled up and parked, a large kal’dorei stepping out. He had antlers and golden eyes and was probably larger than even Saurfang.

“Morning,” he called out.

“How was breakfast, Broll?” Ji asked, unable to wave due to the box.

Broll shrugged, “It was good. Valeera is doing well in her classes, and she told me about a new guy in her neighborhood. I think she has a crush.”

Varian felt his face turn a bit red and Broll looked at him oddly, but both of them were distracted when Alleria burst into laughter.

“Broll, meet the source of Valeera’s crush and our new captain.”

“Hi,” Varian said lamely.

Broll blinked and then sighed, “I always knew she had a thing for older guys… I don’t know what to do with her.”

Alleria shrugged, “Could always do what I did with Arator: shove her into the path of an attractive young thing and watch sparks fly.”

“Is that what happened?” Varian asked, “Because as I recall, Anduin was very struck. He wouldn’t stop talking about Arator for three weeks.”

“Baby gays will be baby gays.”

Ji’s face lit up, “Your son is Arator’s mysterious suitor? I must hear more! Arator has refused to talk to me about any of it.”

“Because you’re nosy,” Broll pointed out.

A kal’dorei woman with elegant tattoos on her face and a tauren man wearing an elaborate but rather practical headdress had stepped out from behind the ambulance as they talked, walking up.

“Alleria, are you babysitting your nephews this afternoon?” the woman asked.

“I don’t think so, why? Did Vereesa call?”

“No, I was just curious. Baine said he’d added a new board game to the stash and I admit, I’m curious about it.”

“What game?” Alleria frowned, “Baine, you better not have brought Monopoly or anything.”

“I’m not a monster, Alleria,” the tauren chuckled, “I brought Chutes and Ladders. I noticed we didn’t have it and I happened to have it in my attic. Kids love that game. Beats me as to why, but if it keeps them happy.”

“I’ll let Vereesa know. The boys will be thrilled to have a new game.”

“You babysit your nephews here?” Varian asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, frowning, “Will it be a problem? I can find somewhere else for them, if need be, it’s not like it’s an everyday thing or-”

“Hey, it’s cool,” Varian lifted his hands, “Just give me a heads up. I imagine their mother will want me to watch my language.”

“Probably. They’re eleven and prone to picking up all the fun words. I caught Giramar saying ‘fuck’ the other day, thank the Light his mother didn’t hear him.”

“Does their father mind?”

“Rhonin is a lawyer, I’m pretty sure he’s where they learn half of it from. The fact they’re smart enough to not say it around their mother speaks volumes.”

The kal’dorei woman laughed, “I never was. Elune knows my mother threatened to soap my mouth more than once.”

“You have a potty mouth, Shandris?” Alleria gasped, “I would never have guessed!”

“Fuck off, Windrunner.”

The crew laughed and Alleria introduced him to Shandris Feathermoon, their resident stuntwoman of sorts, and Baine Bloodhoof, the EMT and ambulance driver. Broll Bearmantle was their heavy hitter who would smash through any door without needing the Jaws of Life or even a battering ram.

Varian found himself helping to put groceries away as Alleria and Shandris chatted when the alarm went off.

“Station Three to fire alert at 1437 South Cherry. Repeat, fire alert at 1437 South Cherry.”

Varian all but vaulted the railing to grab the pole and slid down, grabbing his gear in record time. Everyone else was hustling too.

“I should warn you,” Alleria called out, “1437 Cherry is my sister’s homeless shelter. Chances are someone either tried to commit arson or someone got stupid.”

“Why not both?” Saurfang grumped, grabbing his helmet.

“Also a valid option.”

The ride out to the shelter was quick, cars pulling over to get out of their way with a speed Varian wished they had in Stormwind. Cars there would obstruct the rigs for fun.

They pulled up to a small compound that consisted of a three story brick building and almost a half dozen smaller outbuildings that looked like part trailer and part prebuilt shed, all packed onto a quarter acre of land.

An elven woman with a cane stood out front, shouting at a grey-haired man in a police uniform. Behind her were two very sheepish soot-stained people, an elven woman and a human man, staring at the dirt as a scruffy human man glared at them. One of the outbuildings was on fire, slowly burning down.

“Saurfang, Alleria, Broll, get the hose going on that. Baine, see to those two and check for wounds. Shandris, make sure none of the other buildings are going to catch. Ji, get some statements. I’m going to chat with the proprietor.”

Saurfang looked silently amused as everyone split off to do their own thing. Varian strode up to the cop and the woman and stuck his hand out to her.

“Captain Varian Wrynn. Mind telling me what went down?”

The woman rolled her crimson eyes, “As I was telling this idiot, Faranell and Alina there got bored and decided to run an impromptu science experiment in the shed where we keep all the gardening materials. They got stupid and now I’m out several hundred dollars in gardening supplies, let alone the few thousand for the building.”

“I see. Do you have insurance on any of it?”

She gave a dry laugh, “You must be new. Of course I don’t have insurance, that requires money the council is refusing to cough up.”

“Miss Windrunner, I’ve told you, if you could refrain from insulting the council members, they would be more agreeable to your case,” the cop sighed, turning to Varian, “Genn Greymane. I tend to get sent out here a lot, this is a regular occurrence as far as Mister Faranell is concerned.”

“It was an accident, ma’am, honest!” The human protested.

“Save it, Faranell!” she snapped, “Were I you, I’d start coming up with a plan to replace what you destroyed, both of you!”

“What’s going on here?” a tall blonde elf in a suit asked, striding up with a slightly more ragged blonde elf behind him. The suited one had an eyepatch and a scar beneath it, but that didn’t stop him from glaring at Faranell and Alina fiercely.

“Lor’themar. You’re early.”

“Halduron here overstayed his welcome at the hospital again.”

“Hal,” Windrunner sighed, “You’re lucky Tyrande is nice enough to call your social worker instead of the police.”

“You really are,” Greymane scolded, “What if she had called Hellscream?”

Halduron looked sheepish, “I know. I’m sorry. I just wanted to chat with the new resident. He’s a good kid, I think Arator has a crush on him.”

“Stop right there,” Sylvanas looked revolted, “I do not want to know what my nephew gets up to in his free time.”

“They used to date, but not anymore,” Varian commented, “Anduin seems to like you well enough, though. He’s a softie.”

“I can tell. He bought me coffee. Sweet of him, even if he is a bit young for me. You know him?”

“I’m his father, and you may have just saved yourself.”

Halduron swore creatively as Lor’themar laughed, “I keep telling you, Hal, you’re going to get in trouble one of these days. Anyway, Syl, do you mind if I dump him here? There’s a new member of the team and I want to help her get settled in. You’d like this one, she has a doctorate and everything.”

“A miracle,” Sylvanas deadpanned, “Shoo. I’ll handle this one. He can go panhandle over by the library or something.”

“Nobody has any money at the library.”

“Then you can read a book. Shower first, though, you stink.”

Halduron blew her a messy kiss as he hopped up the steps and into the main building. Lor’themar bid his farewells before leaving, just as Saurfang strode over.

“Fire’s out. Some of it is salvageable, but not much. The supplies are trashed, but the building could be brought down to its studs and rebuilt.”

“I don’t even want to know how much that’ll cost,” Sylvanas sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out, Lady Moon,” Alleria threw an arm over her sister’s shoulders, “Besides, I’m off this weekend, I could come over and help out. Anyone else down?”

Varian thought about it, trying to recall his schedule, “I think I have Saturday off. I’m good at building and repairs.”

Broll looked pensive, “Malfurion and I are both off on Sunday, I’ll bring him by and we can see what to do about that garden.”

Sylvanas looked relieved and sighed, “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do if it weren’t for some of the people in this town.”

“I’m sure Vereesa could bring the boys by on Sunday to help. They’re very crafty when they want to be,” Alleria suggested.

“She doesn’t like bringing them here, Lady Sun, you know that.”

“Then I’ll bring Arator along to keep an eye on them. He has Sunday off, unless he gets called in to something.”

Greymane shook his head, “I still recommend asking the council for funding.”

“Genn, we’re friends and all,” Alleria said, “But you know the council is too busy sucking Kael’s dick to do anything useful. Even Alex can’t get them to do shit, and she has the patience of a saint.”

“Have you tried-”

“Genn,” Alleria interrupted, “Do you know how long we’ve been asking for money to repair the station? Four years. Do you know how much we’ve gotten? Not a single penny.”

“That explains a lot,” Varian muttered, dragging a hand down his face, “Sounds like I’m going to a council meeting, then.”

Sylvanas peered at him, “If he’s going, I might as well. Might be entertaining, if anything. Your naivete is amusing.”

“Can’t be any worse than dealing with the council in Stormwind. I wanted to strangle them half the time.”

Sylvanas just laughed, a mirthless sound. The human man who appeared to be guarding the would-be scientists snorted.

“Nathanos, add the council meeting to my calendar and pick up some booze at the store. We might need some.”

The man pulled out his phone and added the notes, “Of course. At the very least, you should get a free show.”

“Should I bring dinner, do you think?”

“Pessimist,” Alleria accused.

“Optimist,” Sylvanas retorted.

Shandris leaned over, “This is a long running spat between the two, you may have just volunteered yourself for a miserable night.”

“Wonderful,” Varian sighed, “I have a habit of sticking my foot in my mouth…”

They’d cleaned things up and had returned to the station in time for a late breakfast, after which Varian found himself neck deep in paperwork.

There were the reports from the incident at the shelter that needed to be filed, some basic insurance documents he needed to deal with, and a stack of resumes and applications from prospective candidates all jockeying for the sole open position on the force right now.

He flipped through those casually and then did a double take when he caught a familiar name.

Halduron Brightwing had applied for a job. Listed qualifications seemed good, but those could be fudged… work history was admittedly sparse… well wasn’t that interesting. Brightwing had included a short list of combat operations that he had purportedly been involved in, ranging throughout the Scourge Invasion nearly thirty years ago. Apparently Brightwing had been a Farstrider, a special elite force that saw a good deal of frontline combat… and his listed superior was one Captain Lor’themar Theron. The social worker? Hell of a career change, but would explain the eyepatch.

He looked through the rest, finding a general under honorable discharge, and then he got to the actual application. In the box where one had to declare if they’d been charged with a felony, Brightwing had ticked “yes”. Interesting, but not surprising. Varian knew better than most what war did to someone. He’d have been more surprised if someone who served during the Scourge conflict didn’t have any major issues as a result.

Grabbing the phone on his desk, he punched in the number given in the references section and waited.

“Theron.”

“This is Captain Wrynn at Station Three. We met earlier, at the shelter?”

“Oh, yes, I recall. Has something happened?”

There was a faint scratching sound as if the phone was shifting, likely propped between shoulder and ear, judging from the telltale sounds of typing Varian could hear.

“Not regarding that, no. You were actually listed as a reference on an application.”

“Halduron’s application? What do you want to know?”

“The first question is about that felony…”

“Felonies. Two of them. Possession charges, both of them. He got caught with heroin the one time and an absurdly large amount of bloodthistle the other time.”

“Just possession? Here I was thinking it was something interesting, like grand theft.”

There was laughter before Theron replied, “I’m sure he wishes they were more interesting too. I would have thought your first question would be the military history, most tend to ask about that first.”

“Let me guess, they have no idea what a general under honorable is? Civilians… I served myself, way back when. Not in the Scourge conflict, but I saw some peripheral action in the cleanup.”

“Really? Always nice to chat with someone else who gets it. I spend far too much time arguing as to why veterans groups should be given funding.”

“That sounds like not even the slightest amount of fun. My wife did a fair amount of campaigning for that herself,” Varian chuckled, “She always insisted that everyone deserved a fair chance.”

“She sounds wonderful.”

There was conversation in the background and a voice piped up in a lilting accent, “Have you seen the latest intake sheets? I cannot find them anywhere… Vol’jin is insisting this is normal, but I find that difficult to believe.”

“That damned troll…” Theron muttered, “I’m sorry, I have to go. Need to wring the neck of at least one of my coworkers.”

“If that works for you, let me know. I may need to try it.”

“Good luck with Alleria.”

The line went dead and the aforementioned Windrunner poked her head in, “Hey, Shandris is making lunch. It’s… I don’t know what it is, but it smells good.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

At the hospital, Anduin was watching carefully as Turalyon showed him the finer points of someone’s MRI scan.

“See, this indicates a growth, but who do you page to figure out what this is exactly?”

Anduin peered at it carefully and then replied, “Cardio and neuro. It’s a growth within what is usually an artery, but it could be impinging on neural function.”

Turalyon looked surprised, “I have to admit, usually students answer one or the other, not both. Well done. That is indeed the correct answer. When in doubt about who to call, page everyone who could be of help. If they can’t help, they’ll leave. If they can, well, you’ve already paged them.”

There was a knock on the door as a tall silver-haired elven woman in scrubs decorated with little bears leaned against the door frame, “Turalyon, you’ve got a case in Trauma One. Car versus pedestrian.”

“Which side?”

“Pedestrian,” she sighed, “I’ve already paged Mayla and Liadrin.”

“I only see Mayla,” Turalyon noted as he looked over at Trauma One.

“Liadrin is wrapping up an appendectomy, she’ll be down in less than ten.”

“Understood. Anduin, deal with any others that come in. I suspect we might see the driver soon.”

Anduin followed the nurse to the central nursing station. She gave him a smile.

“First day?” she asked.

“Second. It’s… it’s a lot.”

“I know the feeling,” she grinned, “My first day out of nursing school I cried three times, vomited twice, and almost got in a wreck on the way home because of stress.”

Anduin blinked, “That’s… a lot.”

“Six car pileup involving a semi rolled in that day. We lost five patients in a span of two hours. It was a lot. Not ideal for a first day.”

A large tauren threw the door open, pulling a gurney one-handed.

“Driver’s here,” he called out. The driver was a dark-haired elven man, unconscious. His red scarf had been apparently used as a tourniquet on his arm. A frazzled-looking red-haired elven man in a sweater vest and khakis hovered.

“All yours,” the nurse smiled, waving him away.

The tauren peered at him and started listing vitals, “Heart rate is one twenty, bee-pee is one thirty over seventy, bleeding has slowed-”

“He was driving me home from work, my car broke down, he started blinking a lot, and then he just fell over, the car swerved, there was someone crossing the crosswalk and-”

“Hey, easy, easy,” Anduin lifted his hands, “He’s in good hands now, and so is that pedestrian. Did he mention any symptoms during the day?”

“No,” the redhead sighed, “He’s terrible about communicating those things. He barely speaks to anyone outside of lectures, and that’s only to shout at them.”

“So he’s always moody?”

“Yes.”

The tauren shrugged, “I’m no doctor, but I think your friend here needs an attitude adjustment.”

The redhead flushed, “He’s not my friend… just my coworker. I don’t even know why he agreed to give me a ride home.”

“Because you don’t know how to shut the fuck up,” the patient groaned, wincing under the bright lights.

“Ah, you’ve returned. Thank you, Paramedic…?”

“Baine Bloodhoof. I’ll be off, Doctor?”

“Doctor Anduin Wrynn. It’s nice to meet you!”

The tauren gave him a funny look as he left. Anduin returned his attention to the elf on the gurney.

“Any headaches lately, perhaps vision issues?”

“The migraines are normally awful, so that’s nothing new.”

“Any other symptoms that you can think of?”

“I remember feeling dizzy… and then I woke up here.”

The nurse wandered over with a large smile. “I just need to gather some details-”

“Dammit Windrunner, you already know them all!”

The nurse, apparently named Windrunner, laughed, “You should know, doctor, he’s been a frequent flyer for migraines in the past three months. Aethas, it’s good to see you. I hope my husband isn’t too big of a menace this week.”

“He never is,” the redhead smiled, “Although, he might want to brush up on basic algebra.”

“Is that what the boys are learning? Belore save them. I’m terrible at it too.”

“I could help,” Anduin volunteered, “I was always good at math. Oh, and could I ask you to page neuro?”

“Certainly,” she nodded, “Rommath, behave. He’s still settling in, I’ll not have you chasing him off. I’ll be the least of your problems in that case.”

“Why should I care?”

“Because if what Sylvanas tells me is true, his father is about to be the new biggest pain in Kael’s ass.”

“Really?” Rommath mused, “In that case, ask your questions, child doctor.”

The mention of Sylvanas suddenly made everything click for Anduin. This nurse must be Arator’s Aunt Vereesa, the youngest of the three sisters.

Anduin was going over basic symptoms of various neurological disorders when a blue-haired half elf strode up, a tablet in hand.

“Are you the one who paged neuro?” the half-elf asked.

“I am.”

The man nodded, “I’m Kalecgos. I hear this one is demonstrating some odd symptoms.”

Rommath sneered, “This one is right here, thank you very much. Dragons…”

This was a dragon? He sure didn’t look it. Anduin looked over, “Migraines, dizziness, passing out, apparently there were some minor vision issues before he passed out.”

Kalecgos nodded, “I see… how long have the migraines been going?”

“Nurse Windrunner said he’s been a frequent flier for three months due to them.”

“Three months?” Kalecgos gaped, “And nobody paged me before? I’ll be having words with some people. Anyway, let’s start with a full blood panel, check everything. Scans after, MRI and CT. Do a urine sample, while you’re at it. I’d rather cover all the bases. Now, if you’ll excuse me just a moment… Vereesa!”

Rommath glanced over at Aethas, “You can go home, Sunreaver.”

“I would need a car for that. I already texted Liadrin and let her know.”

“Why in Belore’s name would you do that?”

A woman with red hair tied back strode into the ER, glared at Rommath, and then slipped into Trauma One, where nurses streamed in and out.

“Doctor Liadrin has been asked to assist Doctors Turalyon and Mayla. I’d say it’s your lucky day,” Anduin informed the pair.

“I already like this whelp better than you, Sunreaver.”

“You say that as if it’s an insult,” the other man sighed, “Is there a waiting room? He’s fully back to his normal self now…”

Anduin directed the man to a set of double doors and the redhead disappeared behind them eagerly. Rommath snickered.

“It’s far too easy to scare him off. He’ll need to work on that thin skin of his if he ever hopes to become tenured.”

“You’re professors?”

“At Dalaran University, yes.”

Anduin tilted his head, “Really? That’s pretty cool. I’ve heard that Dalaran University is extremely prestigious. It must be an honor.”

“Don’t be mistaken, it is prestigious,” the elf said, “But I’m only here because it is pissing Kael’thas Sunstrider off and that makes it worth it.”

“I get the feeling this Kael’thas person isn’t too well liked. My dad’s new coworkers were elaborating on what an asshole he is.”

“He’s corrupt. He wasn’t always. He used to be a good man, but his father died and the Scourge attacked Silvermoon… he’s desperate to get the funds to rebuild, and he will do whatever it takes.”

“Good intentions don’t excuse wrongdoing.”

“I’m a lawyer, I’m damned well aware of that,” Rommath grumped.

A medtech pushing a cart appeared at that moment and cleared his throat, “Hey, Doctor Kalecgos wanted some blood work and samples. After that, we’ll start the parade of scans. Shouldn’t be more than an hour, total. Assuming you’ve got enough for a urine sample?”

The elf raised an eyebrow, “No. I do not.”

“In that case,” the medtech reached over to their cart and set a plastic cup in front of Rommath and announced, “Drink up!”

Anduin checked on the times for the scans as the tech took blood from a progressively more grumpy professor and then ushered him off to a restroom for a urine sample.

The tech returned Rommath just in time for a man with a wheelchair to appear.

“You’re Mister Sunfury?”

“I am,” Rommath peered at the man. Anduin had to try his hardest to not laugh. This particular orderly was extremely unflappable, as he’d learned in an unfortunate encounter involving maneuvering a patient onto an elevator that morning.

“Excellent. Hop on and we’ll get those scans going.”

Anduin took the opportunity to check in on the patient in Trauma One, who appeared to be likelier to live than he was when he was rolled in. Liadrin and Mayla were bickering over which of them needed to operate first and Turalyon looked like he was either looking for an escape or help. Anduin quickly decided he shouldn’t get involved.

He was finishing up some intake paperwork with Vereesa when his very grumpy patient reappeared, the tech looking rather put out.

“He yelled at the poor man again, I’ll bet,” Vereesa muttered, shooting the dark-haired elf a glare, “I swear, he is a total asshole on a good day.”

“Only a good day?”

“Oh, he’s worse on his bad days.”

Anduin snorted and made his way back over to his patient, who still looked miffed.

“At least the hard part is over now. We’ll just wait on results and then see what they say. Until then… do you need a warm blanket or anything?”

“No,” Rommath answered curtly.

“Okay. Well, if you need anything, just holler.”

Anduin spent the next two hours treating a few minor cases that came in, lurking by Trauma One for at least ten minutes until Vereesa shooed him off, and grabbing a cup of coffee. It was as he was finishing the coffee that Kalecgos showed up again.

“Walk with me,” the dragon said succinctly, leading Anduin to a scan room. He put up the scans and gestured at them, “What do you see?”

Anduin peered at the scans, carefully following anything that looked abnormal until he came across the issue, “A mass on the pituitary gland?”

“Correct. A small one, but one well-placed enough to cause some issues. What would you recommend?”

“Surgery. It’s clearly causing enough problems to make the patient a danger to himself and others, so the best course would be to remove it, right?”

“Correct, again,” Kalec nodded, “Just… don’t second guess yourself, okay? Other doctors might forgive it, but patients can be merciless… especially their families.”

“Got it.”

“So, we’ll recommend surgery, if he takes it, great, if not… we’ll try harder.”

“I think he’s scared of Liadrin, if that helps.”

“It does, very much,” Kalec grinned.

The pair headed out to find their patient, only to see that Liadrin had beat them.

“I told you to get these scans done a month ago. I bet they’ll show something, just you wait.”

“She’s right,” Kalec announced their presence with those words, and Rommath scowled as Liadrin turned.

“Kalec. What did you find?”

“I’ll let the resident share, if you don’t mind. Go ahead, Doctor Wrynn.”

Anduin cleared his throat and smoothed his hands on his scrub pants before speaking, “Scans indicated a small tumor on the pituitary gland. Normally, a tumor of this size wouldn’t be a concern yet, but given the side effects it is showing, we’d like to recommend removal and biopsy.”

“A little ball of wayward cells is causing all of this?” Rommath sighed, “And if you take it out, it’ll go away?”

“Yes, and there is a very good chance that it will, assuming it’s not cancerous,” Anduin nodded.

“Then take the damn thing out. I’ve no need for this nonsense. Sunreaver is going to hover for weeks now because of this.”

“What, your sunny personality hasn’t scared him off?” Liadrin teased.

“Not yet,” Rommath grumbled.

Anduin had to fight back a laugh at that.


	3. The City Council

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian gets a new hire at the station, gets dragged to a city council meeting, has a few reunions, and almost gets in a fight. Sylvanas is bringing canes back into fashion, Tess and Valeera are little terrors and oh look they have a friend. A *poly sci* friend.
> 
> Also, Vol'jin may or may not have incense for that. Incense is very calming, didn't you know?

The door to Lor’themar’s office slammed open at eight in the morning, on the dot. Honestly, he was starting to wonder if he could tell time by these frequent occurrences.

Halduron’s hair was a mess and he looked panicked.

“You keep extra clothes here, right?”

Lor’themar blinked his one eye slowly, “Dare I ask what happened to your wardrobe?”

“It’s fine and all but it’s a big fucking day and I need to look professional!”

“Why?”

“I have a job interview, Lor, THE job interview. I got a call and it’s in three hours and I am going to panic.”

“I got some incense for dat, mon,” Vol’jin’s voice drifted down the hall.

“No, you don’t!” Lor’themar shouted back. Thalyssra’s laughter drifted into the room as she passed by, but then the elegant Nightborne froze.

“What happened to your hair?”

Halduron patted it, “Oh, I woke up like this.”

Thalyssra strode into the room and patted the chair on the other side of Lor’s desk, “Sit.”

Halduron did so obediently and Thalyssra looked over at Lor’themar, “You find an outfit that’s halfway decent, I’ll fix… this.”

She pulled a comb out of her purse, setting the purse on his desk as she went to work on Halduron’s hair while Lor sorted through the small collection of clean clothes he kept in the office in case of emergency.

“You are lucky we have similar clothing sizes,” Lor muttered, tossing through the clothes until he pieced together a decent button down and slacks with a suit jacket, “You’re not getting my tie, by the way.”

“I’ll take what I can get. I don’t want Captain Wrynn to get the wrong impression.”

“Halduron, he almost killed you for flirting with his son, I don’t know how much worse of an impression you could make.”

Thalyssra blinked, “What happened there?”

“I was panhandling at the hospital, met a nice new intern doctor, sweet kid, bit young for me. He bought me coffee and we talked. Tyrande caught me and called Lor, who dropped me off at the shelter where the kid’s dad was responding to a fire alarm.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Besides, I didn’t flirt with the kid,” Halduron glared at Lor’themar, “I just talked to him. Told his dad as much myself.”

“That was a look of pure murder you got. Like, if looks could kill, I’d be arranging a funeral. Funerals are expensive and honestly way too much paperwork.”

“Pfft, you’d miss me.”

“Unfortunately. Who else would try to eat all the food in my fridge?”

“Not my fault you’re the only one in the unit who could cook worth half a damn.”

“Unit?” Thalyssra asked, one elegant eyebrow lifting.

“Second Unit, Quel’thalas Farstriders,” Halduron explained, “We’re military, and trust me, it shows.”

“For you, maybe. All I have is a scar.”

“And near-crippling alcoholism.”

Thalyssra snorted as Lor’themar put on an affronted face, “Well, I never!”

“I bet Vol’jin has some incense for that.”

“I got incense for everything, mon,” the troll made himself known, propped in the door frame, “Better den dat shit you call drugs anyway.”

“Hey, I’m clean!”

“Only after I called in the heavy hitters.”

Halduron pouted, “Baby Windrunner does puppy eyes so well. It’s a little concerning. And they say he takes after Alleria.”

“We all knew that was bullshit from day one.”

Vol’jin chuckled as he wandered off, and Thalyssra tugged her comb through Hal’s hair one more time.

“Change and then we’ll practice for the interview.”

“Practice? Wait, that’s actually a thing?” Halduron frowned, “I thought that was just one of those bullshit pieces of advice people give to make themselves sound important.”

Lor’themar rolled his eye, “You’d be freaking out the next few hours otherwise. Besides, practice makes perfect, or so the saying goes.”

“As evidenced by your existence, that saying is bullshit,” Halduron shot back.

“Oh, ouch. You have wounded me.”

Thalyssra laughed as Halduron grabbed the spare clothes and strode off.

“He’s certainly a handful,” she observed.

“I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“Die, probably!” Halduron’s voice echoed down the hall.

“Although,” Lor’themar mused, “I might end up being the one to kill him. That remains to be seen.”

The interview practice went smoothly and Halduron found himself at Station Three exactly ten minutes before his interview was due to start. He looked around, taking it in. He’d wanted to work here for three years now, maybe this was his lucky day.

“Hey, you looking for something?” a voice called out. Hal peered over past the ladder rig to find a stout Pandaren frowning at him.

“Uh, here for an interview.”

“Halduron? You clean up well. Shandris, look at this.”

The aforementioned night elf stuck her head out of the ladder control booth and lifted one elegant eyebrow, “You really do clean up well, Hal. Captain is in his office, feel free to wander up and knock. Just… be careful? I think I heard him going a few rounds with the chief.”

“Again?” Ji sighed, “I don’t know what it will take for the chief to realize we need those funds. I mean, look at this rig. It’s a disgrace. Shameful.”

“It’s not the chief’s fault you keep spilling drinks in here.”

“Water, Shandris. I spill water. Water dries. The state of the entire rig is shameful. This thing is easily on par with Saurfang.”

Shandris snorted, clearly trying to contain her laughter. Hal grinned and strode past, spotting the office up above… or it was the locker room, hard to tell with the pair outside it listening in.

“Anything good?” he hissed to Alleria and Baine as he approached them.

“Captain is haggling with the chief. I think they’re about to agree on fifteen grand and a new rig,” Alleria informed him.

“Not a new ambulance?” Baine seemed to pout.

“Hey, beggars can’t be choosers. You want one that bad, to replace that three year old ambulance, you fundraise it yourself. That rig down there is older than Saurfang, we need to replace that first. And this place needs some major repairs.”

“What variety?” Halduron asked.

“Let’s just say that if you can help it, you should take a shower at home. That shower is infested with mold and just needs to be gutted and redone.”

The door opened suddenly and Varian Wrynn gazed at them.

“I can’t say I’m too surprised by you, Alleria,” he scolded, “But dragging Baine into it? Come on now.”

“He wanted a new ambulance.”

“Yours is only three years old,” Wrynn sighed, “Rig comes first. And repairs.”

“I, uh,” Halduron cleared his throat, “I’m pretty handy at times. I’m single-handedly keeping the plumbing system at Sylvanas’ up and running right now. The science nerds keep flushing dumb shit down the toilet.”

“Yeah, they’re not the brightest,” Alleria nodded, “So we can get Hal to work on the plumbing issues because we have plenty. Don’t even get me started on the ladies’ room… Ugh.”

“Yeah, I can work with that.”

Wrynn seemed amused, “I guess it’s a good thing this interview is only a formality then, huh?”

“What?” Halduron blinked.

“There were a dozen candidates for the position, none of whom had already been trained. When did you find time for training, anyway?”

Halduron felt his ears turning red but willed it away, “My, uh, my therapist in rehab said that maybe keeping myself busy would be good for me. Turns out she was right. I was so exhausted every night that I just fell into bed… never even thought about drugs or any of that.”

“And you passed with flying colors while in rehab?”

“Yeah…”

“Like I said,” Wrynn chuckled, “A formality. You’ll start off on probation for six months, which means you’ll be at the mercy of everyone else here, but once you make it past that, you’ll be a full firefighter.”

Halduron felt like he’d hit a new high, the kinda high that the drugs certainly had never been able to bring… then it halted and went downhill.

“You know I was in rehab and have drug charges on my record… and you still want to hire me?”

Wrynn shrugged, “I’d be a hypocrite if I said that rehab and drug charges made you less of a candidate. Years ago, the captain of Stormwind Station Eight took a chance on me, despite several DUIs and a known history of alcohol issues. He took a chance on me, and I intend to pay that forward. Just… take a chance on the next guy, yeah?”

Halduron was practically over the moon, “You got it! I won’t let you down, Cap!”

Alleria was laughing, “You still need a locker, you know. There’s like three unclaimed, so you better hurry and grab one.”

Halduron took off, grinning as he went. He bumped into Saurfang along the way, but the old orc just sighed and carried on.

“New recruit, huh?” he grunted at Varian after closing the office door.

“What can I say, he’s good,” Varian shrugged, jealously holding his coffee mug, “Have you seen his scores?”

“What scores?”

“Turns out he took the training course years ago. Some of the highest scores I’ve ever seen. Certainly higher than mine. I damn near flunked the written.”

“You do strike me as more of the practical type,” Saurfang commented.

“Don’t start. I write the reports, just… later.”

“Much later. I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much, you do at least write them eventually. The previous captain didn’t.”

“What can you tell me about him?”

Saurfang looked pensive, “Grom Hellscream was a bold man… almost too bold. His son takes far more after him than any orc has the right to. Boldness in and of itself isn’t dangerous, but when paired with blinding arrogance…”

“It’s becomes deadly.”

“For Grom, it became deadly to himself. His son… is more a threat to others. It’s why Greymane is so eager to take on cases related to the shelter. In his own way, he’s protecting them.”

“Oh? I didn’t get the impression he got along with Sylvanas.”

“Oh, they don’t. I don’t know the full story, but Alleria did tell me what she knows. His son was apparently at the shelter for a bit, either as a volunteer or a resident, that part isn’t clear. All I know is that one night, he wound up dead. Nobody ever came forward with evidence, and they eventually marked the case closed, with no charges.”

“Damn,” Varian sighed, “That’s rough. And nobody ever came forward? Cowards, the lot of them.”

“It’s a point of contention in this town, and Garrosh uses it as an excuse to hound Sylvanas’ shelter, and Khadgar’s as well.”

“I keep hearing about Khadgar, but hell if I’ve seen him yet.”

“You won’t. I don’t even think the man goes to the grocery store,” Saurfang scoffed, “He’s something of a shut-in, except for council meetings. He’s brilliant, and cares about his clients, but he’s not one for the public eye.”

“That much I remember.”

“You knew him?”

“He dated my uncle for a while. They were cute together. I always wondered what happened to him after my uncle died.”

“Well, you can ask him. Alleria says you’ve been convinced to go to a council meeting?”

“Sure have. There are some serious conversations that need to be had.”

The phone rang and Varian winced as he checked the number, “Pray for me.”

“The chief?”

“Worse. The hospital,” Varian sighed, “I’ll bet twenty bucks Anduin found trouble.”

He picked up the phone and said, “Wrynn here.”

“Mister Wrynn? Ah, excellent. This is Doctor Highmountain. I got those scans Stormwind General faxed over. I must say… I have questions.”

Saurfang gave him a thumbs up that completely contrasted with his almost-permanent frown and left silently. A little too silently, considering his size.

“I would imagine. It’s not a pretty picture.”

“Well, your doctor in Stormwind is to be commended on your recovery. The accident must have been pretty severe.”

“It was. I very nearly didn’t make it. It was a close call.”

Doctor Highmountain laughed a bit, “I can imagine. I see you’ve been recommended for bi-annual checkups, and that the next one is due in… five weeks. Would you like to make an appointment?”

“Certainly. It might get my son off my back. He always starts haranguing me about three weeks prior.”

“Anduin, yes? He’s incredibly bright. Let me check my schedule… oh, perfect. I have an opening in five weeks exactly, on that Wednesday at nine in the morning. Would that work?”

“It would, yes. I’d just have to make sure my second is aware that he needs to cover the station until I get back.”

“Of course. I’ll mark it in, shouldn’t take more than an hour. Just some new scans for the file, bit of a checkup. Results won’t be in on the day of, but within three to five days.”

“Understandable. Will I be contacted if anything is amiss?”

“Yes. If nothing is out of the ordinary, I’ll just send a letter. So, if you don’t hear from me within a week after the appointment, assume everything is perfectly normal.”

“In that case, and I mean no offense, but I hope to not hear from you.”

She laughed again, “None taken. I can entirely understand. Most of my patients hope to never hear from me. I’ve got the appointment scheduled, did you have any questions?”

“Nope. I’ve been having these appointments for five years now. They’re pretty standard.”

“Indeed they are. Well, if you don’t have any questions, I’ll go ahead and let you get back to work.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate the call. See you in five weeks.”

“Five weeks. Good day!”

She hung up and Varian made a mental note to ask Anduin about her later. He might know more. He would still dread the appointment until the day of, but at least he’d know more about the doctor. He always hated these appointments… his doctor in Stormwind had always tried to ask him how he was doing, how he was getting on… Varian hated it. His wife was dead, and he rightfully should have died with her, how the hell did they think he was getting on.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of paperwork, breaking up spats between the firefighters over coffee and bathrooms, and looking up any information he could find on the city council.

He had found information about the mayor, Alexstrasza. She had a hand in a number of charitable organizations and was a darling of the press, always charming them. She may have been Neltharion’s sister, but she was the complete opposite of him, apparently. THe press loved to make that comparison between the two. The council itself consisted of Kael’thas Sunstrider, Khadgar, and Tirion Fordring. The last two were very familiar names. Khadgar being his pseudo-uncle of sorts, and Tirion being an old friend.

Varian hadn’t thought he’d hear of Tirion again, but it looked like he was the hospital chaplain. He remembered how Tirion had always delighted in Tiffin’s part in the church and had been happy to look after Anduin when Varian and Tiffin had to work. It had been Tirion who had arranged the funeral and helped fundraise for both the funeral costs and medical costs. Tirion was the one who had made sure Anduin had three square meals a day and a shoulder to cry on while Varian was in and out of surgery in the hospital. If he was being entirely honest with himself, he probably wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for Tirion’s presence, reminding him that he had to pull through, for Anduin, and that Tiffin wouldn’t have wanted him to wallow. It had even been Tirion who helped Varian see that his one and only relationship, a year ago, had been toxic to both him and Anduin.

Frankly, the old man had helped them through a lot, and Varian was looking forward to seeing him again. He knew Tirion had moved about seven months ago, but hadn’t known where. Seems the universe wanted them to keep meeting.

Kael’thas Sunstrider, on the other hand, he had heard nothing good about. It seemed he was purposely trying to block funding to places like Sylvanas’ shelter, to the hospital, and to the fire stations. He was, however, perfectly content to increase the police budget year after year. Before Kael’thas had been elected to the council, the police budget had been a mere million dollars a year. Now, it was almost ten million a year and there was yet another plan to increase it. Varian couldn’t imagine why Khadgar would agree to it, unless it had been Tirion’s predecessor who had agreed to it. According to his research, Tirion had been elected in a special election after his predecessor had been arrested on drug charges and shipped off to prison. The next big round of elections were in a year’s time, and campaigning was already underway, if Sunstrider’s behavior was anything to go off of.

Dalaran Daily, the largest news organization in the city, seemed eager to cover all of it. Honestly, they seemed like a gossip rag to him, but at least they had some information. Not that Varian wasn’t double-checking any of it. After Katrana… well, it was better to double check things. Just in case.

A knock on his office door had him looking up at Alleria.

“Just got a text from Sylvanas. She’s ready to go when you are.”

“Is it that time already?” Varian frowned, checking the clock. It sure was. Six o’clock sharp. He sighed, “I suppose I’ll have to brace myself then. Let her know I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

“Will do. Have fun!”

After sending a message to Anduin to let him know he’d be at the Council meeting until late and to not wait up, Varian grabbed his coat and headed for the truck. It was a bit chilly in the truck, fitting the fall weather, but nothing the heater at full blast for a few minutes couldn’t fix. At six oh nine, he pulled up in front of the shelter, angling the truck so that it would be easier to step into from the curb, considering Sylvanas’ use of a cane.

“Right on time,” the elf mused as she opened the door, using her cane to leverage herself up and into the truck.

“I aim to exceed expectations.”

“You’d make a killing as a ride-hail service driver. You ever considered it?”

“I am one. Fastest ride in town, in fact.”

Sylvanas snorted, “I figure. You get to ignore all the rules.”

“And blitz through traffic like a maniac, if you’re my ambulance driver.”

They were pulling onto one of the main streets through town when she looked over, “Listen, there’s a couple things you need to know. First, the people on the council.”

“Khadgar, Tirion, and Sunstrider. I did research that.”

“Ah, good. You’re better prepared than I thought. And Nathanos was telling me you would be clueless.”

“Slow day at the station. Besides, I always go in prepared.”

“Excellent. Next thing, Kael’thas takes bribes and does so happily. He’ll never admit it out loud, and there is no proof of it, but it’s one of those things everyone knows. The Burning Legion bought him out years ago. They’re the ones paying for his reelection campaign.”

“You ever thought about running someone against him?”

“Haven’t had any volunteers. I had hoped Fordring might, but he took Medivh’s seat.”

“Medivh? There’s a name I haven’t heard in years. I always wondered what happened to him.”

Sylvanas looked amused, “You knew him?”

“He and my father were inseparable. Thick as thieves, they and my uncle Anduin.”

“You named your son after your uncle,” she observed.

“And my father. Anduin Llane. Two good men who died too soon.”

“Death does come for us all.”

It was a morose statement, but Varian found it to be extremely accurate, “Indeed it does.”

“Final detail, Alexstrasza has no real power over them. Don’t get me wrong, she tries her hardest, but Kael has been undermining her at every turn, angling for her seat.”

“Now I definitely want him out. Everything I’ve read, the woman is practically a saint. Better than her brother, that’s for sure.”

“Have you ever met Neltharion?”

“Once, in Lordaeron. He tried to marry my best friend’s sister, some sort of arranged deal. She threatened to either run away or kill herself, and that was that. He left town soon after.”

“Really? Impressive. I’d love to meet her.”

“She died to the Scourge. One of the first civilian casualties, if reports are to be believed.”

“Hmpf. I have faith she died well.”

Varian glanced over, never truly taking his eyes off the road, “What about you? I know you served, but I have no idea where.”

She snorted, “I didn’t just serve. I was the Ranger-General until that Lich King bastard put me out of commission, permanently.”

“You were the… what the hell are you doing in Dalaran running a homeless shelter?”

“Do you notice how many of them listen to me?” she asked. When he nodded, she continued, “Nathanos was one of my seconds. I had three. Alina, Anya, Velonara… many of them were in my unit or in the Farstriders. That war destroyed so many of us… I was lucky to have my family to support me, but they don’t. The least I can do for them, to recognize their bravery and sacrifice, is to help them get back on their feet.”

Varian was quiet for a long moment before he replied, “My wife saw it the same way. She worked with veterans every day. She said that anybody who was willing to go out there, no matter the reason, deserved a chance. Mind you, she had plenty to say about the senior stuffed shirts, but she had nothing but empathy for the enlisted rank and file. My son told me that almost every single one of the vets she helped showed up at her funeral. They couldn’t even fit them all in the church.”

“She was a rare sort. Most who aren’t vets don’t understand, not truly. I suspect she may have known a good deal, being married to you.”

Her tone was cheeky and Varian laughed, “She did. I was a wreck after the Scourge wars, my record will show it. We’d been engaged when I left for the wars, I didn’t honestly think she’d still be waiting. But there she was, right when I stepped off the plane. So many other guys had nobody, and my Tiffin was there. She even invited some of the others over for dinner that night, the ones who had nowhere to go. Became something of a joke amongst us, Saint Tiffin. She saved us all, in her own way.”

“Was she a therapist? Or a social worker?”

“Nope. Just an honest woman wanting to do some good. She never finished her degree, her family couldn’t afford to pay for it, and she couldn’t afford it on her own. Half a degree in psychology is better than none, as far at the vet’s charities were concerned.”

“I’d imagine. It’s one of the reasons I required my officers to have degrees before they were promoted. Inspiration for the rank and file is always key to morale. If the officers can get degrees, so can they.”

“Agreed,” Varian nodded, “What kinds of degrees did they have?”

“Lor’themar, you’ve met him, came in with a bachelor’s in social work. Nathanos has a bachelor’s in agriculture, believe it or not. That garden was his pride and joy. Anya has a master’s in chemistry… Velonara had a bachelor’s in computer science, which she’s since made a master’s because Belore knows that one is an overachiever. Halduron has a bachelor’s in engineering, not that he ever shares that fact. You should know that, considering you hired him. He doesn’t make it commonly known, because he mostly got it for the sake of the officer’s rank.”

Varian was impressed, “At least it’s a degree. Gives him a leg up on me. I have a general associate’s that I never did do anything with. What’s yours in? I assume you have one.”

“I do. Bachelor’s in military science.”

“Makes sense, General.”

“Belore, not you too. I get enough shit from the others. Wait until you find out Alleria’s degree.”

“Oh? I love a good bit of dirt.”

Sylvanas smirked, “She has a bachelor’s in early education. She dreamed of being a teacher as a kid, but decided to enlist instead. I’ve no idea why, to this day. She keeps her reasons to herself. I think the only one of us who uses their degree is Vereesa. She works at Dalaran General, as a nurse.”

“Which variety? There’s the ell-pee-en variety, the arr-en variety…”

“She’s a registered nurse. She refused to be an ell-pee-en, or a low-paid nurse as the joke goes. Between her and my brother-in-law, it’s a miracle I don’t have the most spoiled nephews on Azeroth. She makes good money as a nurse, he makes good money as a lawyer.”

“Hell of a pair. I’m guessing of the humble variety?”

“How do you think I even afforded the shelter in the first place? They pay all the monthly bills on it.”

Varian was so invested in their discussion that he almost missed City Hall, having to make a sharp turn to get on the right street. Sylvanas snickered as he swore creatively at himself. The parking lot was surprisingly empty. Clearly, these weren’t very popular meetings. A pair of women were sitting on the hood of a small four-door chatting with a man, waving as Varian pulled into the spot two over from them.

“Hey Syl!” Valeera called out. Tess was next to her, and the young man they were talking too looked eerily familiar.

“Valeera, Tess. Who is your new friend?”

“He’s one of my classmates,” Tess explained.

“Wrathion. How do you do?” the man smiled.

“Polite. Refreshing for you two irreverent little shits.”

“Hey!” Tess protested, “Valeera is the irreverent little shit. I’m a well-behaved little shit.”

“You’re a dirty liar and you know it.”

“Really Tess,” Wrathion purred, “You, a little shit? I would never have guessed.”

Valeera cackled, “Welcome to reality, pal. Trust me, I live with her.”

Wrathion seemed highly amused, his crimson eyes narrowed as he smiled, “I can only imagine. I shall endeavour to learn more.”

Sylvanas scoffed, “You’re, what, a poly sci major?”

“However did you guess?!” the young man exclaimed, “I am indeed.”

“You make the weirdest friends, kid,” Sylvanas told Tess bluntly.

“I know.”

“Just make sure this one doesn’t meet your father.”

“Ah, the illustrious Genn Greymane,” Wrathion chuckled, “I actually would like to meet him. My father spends enough time complaining about him that it would be a delight to meet the source.”

“Wrathion’s dad is Neltharion, believe it or not,” Tess explained to the confused newcomers, “Turns out spite is a wonderful motivator.”

“It really is,” Wrathion nodded, “My father is a nuisance to society and needs to be stopped.”

“I had my doubts,” Varian said finally, “But I think you and I may get along after all. You’re right, your father is a damned menace.”

“This should be an entertaining meeting,” Valeera giggled, “We should head in. Five minutes til start.”

The small group headed in and took seats in the gallery, watching the assorted city leadership congregate. Alexstrasza was dressed in an impeccable suit, her long crimson hair tied back in a low bun. Tirion wore his usual priest’s garb, black shirt and pants, although without the Roman collar he usually wore. Khadgar looked like he’d just crawled out of a dumpster, with a ratty sweater vest and button up over jeans with holes in them. His hair was a mess, but that was normal. Sunstrider, on the other hand, wore an elegant suit and seemed far more interested in his manicure than his colleagues.

“Small crowd today,” Alexstrasza joked as they took their seats, “Miss Windrunner, lovely to see you again. I will ask that you refrain from any attempts at physical violence tonight. I know tempers run high at these meetings. Tess, Valeera, good to see you. This must be your new friend, Mister Shaw did warn me about this one. And… ah, you must be Captain Wrynn. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise, Madam Mayor,” Varian inclined his head slightly. Tirion smiled at him and Khadgar shook himself awake.

“Now, I’ll keep this brief, as I suspect we’d all like this over with. Council session is now in order. Today’s items of business are the proposed increase in funding for the police department, proposed increase in funding for the fire department, proposed increase in funding for health and social services, and proposed development on Walnut Street. Any questions or remarks before we begin, gentlemen?”

There was silence, and the mayor nodded, “On to business, then. First item of business, a proposed increase in funding for the police department in the amount of six hundred and thirty seven thousand dollars per year. Councilmember Sunstrider, I believe that is your proposal?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor,” Sunstrider rose smoothly, “I propose an increase in the allocated budget of the police force from ten million one hundred and sixty five thousand dollars to ten million eight hundred and two thousand dollars. This increase will allow for the purchasing of more up to date gear, the hiring of two dozen more officers, and the purchase of body cameras for officers on duty to wear.”

Sylvanas murmured, “Body cameras, he’s so full of shit. Hellscream would never agree to that.”

“Does anyone have any public comments for or against this proposal?”

Tess lifted her hand and Alexstrasza gestured her forward. The young woman rose and stepped forward to take the podium.

“Thank you, Madam Mayor. My name is Tess Greymane, my father is a detective on the force. I would like to speak against this proposal. Our current police force is excessive for a city of this size, as compared to Stormwind, Silvermoon, Orgrimmar, and Suramar, all of which are cities of comparable size and with only two thirds of the police force we have, with about half of the funding. The last major purchase of police equipment was two years ago, and none of the current equipment is any older than five years. The comparable cities have a standard equipment age of ten years, with the newest being four years. We are vastly overfunding our police department, and have been doing so for years now. I present a petition, on behalf of the citizens of Dalaran, to immediately cease any new funding for the police department until a full and independent audit can take place. You will find this petition has twenty thousand signatures, more than four times the required minimum, all registered voters in the city of Dalaran.”

Varian was impressed at how eloquent the young woman was. It seemed she knew more than she was letting on at any given time. She presented the petition to the Council and the mayor looked over it.

“Proposal to increase police funding will now be tabled until review of the petition is complete. At such time, we will reconvene on the matter and vote on whether to undertake an audit. I estimate no less than two weeks for the review,” Alexstrasza said, lifting a pair of reading glasses and perching them on her nose to better read the petition, “All agreed?”

“Aye,” Khadgar nodded. Tirion also added his assent.

Sunstrider glared at Tess, but then nodded, “Aye.”

“The matter is tabled, then. Next on the agenda, a proposed increase in funding for the fire department in the amount of three hundred and seventeen thousand dollars per year. Councilmember Fordring, that was your proposal, correct?”

“It was, Madam Mayor.”

Tirion rose and began speaking, “In the last twenty years, this city has not once increased the budget of the fire department. Our brave firefighters are routinely using gear twenty or more years out of date, and are putting themselves in danger by using equipment that would not pass today’s safety checks. I propose an increase in the budget allocated to the fire department in order for them to purchase new equipment, update their training program, and hire seventeen new paramedics. This list, and monetary amount, has been submitted in full by Chief Runeweaver, who has also submitted for the record that the only purchase they have been able to make in the last ten years has been a new ambulance for Station Three, whose ambulance was totaled in a wreck. Insurance covered the cost of that rig, with minimal supplementation from the fire department’s own budget.”

“Thank you, Councilmember Fordring. Are there any comments from the public on this matter?”

Varian rose, only stepping forward when the mayor gave her assent.

“Thank you, Madam Mayor. My name is Captain Varian Wrynn, I am in charge of Station Three. I can attest to how desperately funds are needed. The repairs needed on Station Three alone are estimated at forty six thousand. I have been granted fifteen thousand, but in order to make the immediately needed repairs, I’ll have to use a lot of labor from my own firefighters in order to meet the budget restraints. I also have a ladder truck and a standard rig in desperate need of replacement, and a promise to replace the rig. Chief Runeweaver can make no guarantees of if I will get a new rig at any point, let alone before the current one falls into complete disrepair. There is no money to repair it, not even enough money to replace the broken equipment on it, that has to be fundraised for. To be frank, the state of this fire department is shameful, and I now see why my chief in Stormwind gave me a frank warning before taking this job. I honestly thought he was exaggerating, but now I know he was actually understating the problem.”

Khadgar’s eyes were wide at the information, and Alexstrasza looked stunned.

“I see,” she murmured, “All in favor of increasing the budget of the fire department?”

“Aye,” Tirion said immediately.

Khadgar followed closely, “Aye.”

All eyes turned to Kael’thas, and he shook his head.

“Very well. Aye.”

“The ayes have it,” Alexstrasza nodded, “The next fiscal year will see an increase in the allocated budget for the fire department in the amount of three hundred and seventeen thousand dollars. Next, there is a proposal for increased funding for health and social services in the amount of one million two hundred and twenty eight thousand dollars. Councilmember Khadgar, this one is yours.”

“It is, Madam Mayor. As you all know, I am not just a member of this council, but I also run the halfway house on Elm in partnership with the Azeroth Bureau of Corrections. In the agreement between the Bureau and this body seventeen years ago, it was agreed that repairs and other necessary expenses would be funded by the city budget. That portion of the budget currently stands at only seventeen thousand dollars a year. And that is just the halfway house alone. Miss Windrunner’s own shelter is subsidized by the city, and yet it is run on charitable donations by Mister and Missus Redhair. That portion of the budget is completely nonexistent. The largest matter of concern, however, are the state of the hospital and the social work department. The latter is entirely answerable to this council, and yet their budget consists of less than a hundred thousand a year. My understanding is that Doctor Thalyssra Eles, their newest hire, is only being paid minimum wage despite her outstanding qualifications. She could have worked anywhere, and came here. The hospital… well, let’s say they’re lucky they get donations. Their portion of the budget is three hundred thousand a year, which isn’t even enough to run a clinic, let alone a full hospital with one of the most highly recognized level one trauma centers on the planet.”

Khadgar stopped for breath and then continued, “The proposed increase of over one million dollars will go towards new facilities for Miss Windrunner’s shelter, proper salaries for the social workers employed by the city, a proper budget for each of the four listed parts of the health and social services department, and the creation of a free clinic, which will be subsidized by both a portion of the budget and an extremely generous donation of seventeen million dollars from Professor Rommath Sunfury of Dalaran University.”

Varian’s eyebrows went all the way up at that. Valeera gave a low whistle and Sylvanas looked like she wanted to cry, but she hid it well.

“Thank you, Councilmember Khadgar. Are there any public comments on the proposal?”

Sylvanas rose and slowly made her way to the podium, leaning heavily on her cane, “You all know me. Khadgar just talked about me. I’ll be blunt, these funds are desperately needed. My entire plumbing system right now is being held together by an ex-con who just found a full time job and can’t devote his full attention to the system anymore. And that’s before you get to the fact that the buildings should be condemned, because I haven’t had the funds to afford proper exterminators and other cleaning specialists to come out and deal with things. The new facilities would go a long way towards the future and well-being of those less-fortunate members of our community.”

“A question, Miss Windrunner,” Sunstrider asked, lifting a hand, “You were allocated five hundred thousand dollars at the start of your project seven years ago. Where has that money gone?”

Sylvanas blinked slowly, “Clearly you are unaware of the costs to keep an establishment of any kind running. Allow me to enlighten you. Initial purchase of the land was fifty thousand. Construction of the main building was two hundred and seventy-five thousand. Purchase of the prefab structures was one hundred and fifty thousand. That alone is four hundred and seventy five thousand dollars. The last fifty thousand of the initial grant went towards purchasing furniture and other necessary equipment. As this council has not seen fit to grant me a proportionate amount of money in any of the last seven years, the day to day upkeep is overseen by the residents and the monthly bills are attended to by my sister and her husband. Tell me, did you want this to fail?”

“I beg your pardon?” Sunstrider looked annoyed.

“Did you want this to fail? You have refused to even consider additional funding for seven years now. You were in favor of the initial grant, but then refused to consider proper allocation of the city budget. Tell me, is this because I refused to marry you? Because if it is, you need to grow up and-”

“Miss Windrunner!” Alexstrasza scolded, “That is enough. You will retake your seat and remain silent for the duration of this session. You were warned to keep it civil.”

“Yeah, well, he deserves it, the bastard,” Sylvanas sneered at Sunstrider, “Wrynn, I’ll be outside.”

She may have been hampered by her leg injury, but the sheer force of her rage made it seem as if she had indeed stalked out instead of limped out.

“Are there any other public comments?” the mayor asked. When nobody spoke up, she returned her attention to the council, “All in favor of the proposed increase to the health and social services budget?”

“Aye,” Khadgar nodded.

“Aye,” Tirion agreed.

“Nay,” Sunstrider sneered.

Alexstrasza shook her head, but said, “The ayes have it. The next fiscal year’s budget will see an increase of one million two hundred and twenty eight thousand dollars. Final matter for tonight is the proposed development of a scientific research facility on Walnut Street, submitted by Icecrown Incorporated. It seems the representative is absent from this session, so I will propose tabling this until they can be-”

“Forgive my tardiness, Madam Mayor,” a smooth voice interrupted, “I had a late meeting that ran over. Sometimes, one just cannot find good people to do their jobs properly.”

Alexstrasza peered over the rim of her glasses, “And you are…?”

“Arthas Menethil, Madam Mayor. I am the CEO of Icecrown Incorporated,” the blonde gave a charming smile, before continuing, “I must say, you look far more beautiful than the papers could ever indicate. Their portraits just don’t do you justice.”

“I’m hardly one for flattery, Mister Menethil.”

“Of course. On to the matter, then. Icecrown Incorporated proposes the development of a state of the art research facility on Walnut Street. This facility would be primarily used for medical and civilian related research, with a small wing dedicated to military research. We intend to carry out this development in partnership with Dalaran University and employ many of their students and citizens of Dalaran in many roles, including secretarial and custodial. Our estimates are approximately seven hundred jobs available for researchers and two thousand available for members of the public, with an internship program consisting of fifty openings per semester.”

“An ambitious undertaking, Mister Menethil,” Tirion noted, “How long would this development take?”

“Once the plans are finalized and survey completed, we estimate three years total for the project. We also anticipate minimal disruption of day to day life in the area, as we intend to keep the work to normal working hours for the comfort and safety of everyone in the area.”

“Seems promising,” Khadgar murmured.

“Do you have any additional details to present, Mister Menethil?” Alexstrasza asked.

“No, Madam Mayor, I do not,” Arthas replied smoothly.

“Very well. All in favor of the proposed development?”

It was a unanimous vote, and Arthas seemed particularly smug about it. Varian couldn’t stop staring at the man who had once been his friend.

“The ayes have it. The proposed development on Walnut Street is approved, timetable for the development will be discussed in closed-door meetings at a later date. Any other business for this session?”

When nobody spoke up, Alexstrasza seemed relieved, “Very well then. This session is now closed. Thank you all for a mostly productive meeting. Financial committee will meet later to discuss and handle the budget increases approved, city development committee will reach out to Mister Menethil to discuss timetable, and we’ll wait for the review of the petition to continue our discussion on the police budget. Thank you, everyone, and have a good evening.”

With that, the meeting was over. Varian checked his phone and was shocked to find that the time was eight twenty two. That had really taken two hours?

“Varian? Varian, is that you?” Arthas’ voice shocked him out of his thoughts and he looked up at his old friend.

“Hello Arthas.”

“Varian, you have no idea how good it is to see you! It’s been years. How’s Tiffin and your boy… Anduin, is it? How’re they doing?”

Varian went quiet, and Tess looked worried, but he waved her away before responding, “You clearly don’t check your mail very often. You were sent an invitation to the funeral.”

“Funeral? Oh Light, Varian, I’m so sorry… when did it happen?”

“Five years ago.”

Arthas frowned, “I… I”m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I guess I got so caught up in my work, building this company from the ground up…”

“Funny. You said that when I invited you to my wedding, when Jaina left you… you just keep saying it, don’t you? You ever considered that maybe you need to put a little more effort into relationships to maintain them?”

Varian turned and left, ignoring Arthas’ repeated shouts of his name. Tess and Valeera kept up easily, Wrathion trailing just a bit behind them.

“A most informative meeting,” the young man commented.

“Fuck the meeting,” Valeera snapped, “Wrynn, you need me to run this guy outta town or what?”

“Maybe ask Jaina that, hmm?” Varian replied.

“In that case, I’ll do it for free. He seems like a piece of work.”

“He certainly is,” Tess spoke up, her eyes never leaving her phone, “He may be a darling of the news media, but he is certainly not the darling of the common man. This entire forum is about people who got fucked over by his company… and there’s a lot. I’m talking membership in the tens of thousands.”

“What was that all about?” Sylvanas asked as they reached her.

“Icecrown Incorporated has come into town,” Wrathion filled her in on what happened.

“Menethil? What a piece of shit. He keeps trying to privatize my damn shelter. I don’t know how many times I have to tell him to fuck off before he’s going to get the picture. He’s going to be even more insufferable now that he’s actually in town.”

Varian looked over at Valeera, “I think we may be taking you up on that offer to run him out of town after all.”

The blonde elf grinned, “Easy peasy. I’ve got some creative friends.”

“Yeah, I don’t actually want to know,” Varian shook his head, “Plausible deniability and all that.”

“Gotcha.”

Somehow, Varian had a gut feeling that this was only the beginning of his problems. Last time he had this feeling was the day before the crash that killed Tiffin. It was never a good sign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now that you've witnessed the true monotony of a council meeting, can you believe I do this shit to myself willingly? Mostly to make fun of antimaskers, but still. Also, this particular chapter is unbetaed bc I was so excited to get it up I didn't really give anyone a chance to beta it. I see all you wonderful people kudosing and bookmarking. I'm invested too XD.


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